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Whitehall locks down laptops

Security clampdown following data leaks

The UK government has banned laptops leaving government buildings unless the
contents are encrypted.

A series of catastrophic data leaks has caused the clampdown, after growing
fears about the amount of personal data being lost by government employees.

The move is likely to lead to a boom in sales of encryption technology.

Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell said in an email to top civil servants on
Monday: "From now on, no unencrypted laptops or drives containing personal data
should be taken outside secured office premises.

"Please ensure that this is communicated throughout your organisation and
delivery bodies and implemented immediately, and that steps are taken to monitor
compliance."

The move will cause considerable disruption in the Civil Service as
encryption is relatively uncommon in government systems.

"It is not a technical problem at all, as it is really very simple to use
encryption," said John Dasher, director of product marketing at encryption firm
PGP.

"Once you have the policy in place, the workforce adjusts. The problem is
that too many people think that losing data could not happen to them."